


up all night

by sapoeysap



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Drabble, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Mutual Pining, Skype Date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 13:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11968152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapoeysap/pseuds/sapoeysap
Summary: skype conversations and burning laptops





	up all night

The laptops threatening to burn a hole through his leg, fan whirring loudly, but barely audible through the sound cancelling headphones. It’s a gaming laptop, meant to survive running over 60 FPS without a sound, but it can’t survive a skype video call, and whatever’s streaming on rabb.it. Joe’s face is blurred, constantly freezing and breaking into pixels, jarring against the smooth streaming of whatever music video they're watching together. It seems to involve a lot of blood, Andy’s not too sure, he stopped concentrating on it 3 videos ago. It’s been weeks since they saw each other, split together by the great swathes of land that is the United States of America.

They resorted to skype calls, because phone calls just stopped being enough. Like they couldn’t explain enough just through verbalisation alone, the visuals make it easier. Andy’s praying that the static replication of his face on Joe’s end won’t give away the way he’s appraising the curly haired man. It’s late enough that Andy feels he can afford these luxuries of such blasé staring. Late enough that he’s ignoring the heat radiating of the laptop, instead concentrating on the pounding of his own heart, syncopated rhythm threating to burst out of his chest. Becoming a beat to Joe’s laughter, crackling down his headphones through the magic of the internet. Clearly the music video has gotten gorier, in the campy way that makes Joe laugh.

Andy tells himself this will be the last skype call where he stares at Joe instead of watching the stream. Andy knows this is a lie, because he promised himself the same thing the night before.

 

Joe’s laptop isn’t as good as Andy’s gaming powerhouse spec wise, but it runs skype better. Joe never tells Andy that he’s aware of every stare, and the way Andy’s grey eyes pierce through the screen, pixels combining with memories. One-day Joe tells himself, he will come clean about the fact that he doesn’t experience the same kind of technical issues Andy does. Not tonight though, because Andy’s face is schooled into such a thoughtful expression. Joe wants to hit print screen, but it will be facing feelings he’s not ready to confront, it won’t replicate the way it takes his breath away. The expression on Andy’s face is wiped away morphing into a small hardened smile, just as Joe hears a timid voice come from behind him.

“Dad, I can’t sleep”

He turns around to see Ruby, and by the time he’s beckoned her over and turned back to his laptop, Andy’s gone, all that’s left is the blue light of skype, and an empty rabb.it chat room. It stings maybe more than it should. Especially when a bubble pops up, Andy saying ‘goodnight’ and that he will leave them be.

 

They don’t skype the next night, or the one after that, and every time Joe calls or messages Andy, all he gets is a ‘I’m sorry, tomorrow, I’m busy’, and maybe Joe could accept that, but the tomorrow promised never comes.

 

**Author's Note:**

> (up all night - counting crows)


End file.
